Knit Lolita Cardigan, 1 Peggy Sue

I love the lolita cardigan, its a great accessory. I just don't want to pay 100USD+ for the stuff in the stores, for various reasons. I have been brainstorming cardigan ideas using cardis in stores and in the lolita bibles.

 I am still not done knitting up the lolita cutsew I had been brainstorming earlier. It is coming along nicely, unfortunately it is at home so I can't show examples.

I don't have a lot of fine yarn, like dk, sport, or fingering, to create a lolita cardigan. I also don't have the patience. Therefore, I like taking patterns from ravelry and adapting them to be lolita.

This cardigan is perfect for lolita, especially casual. I draw inspiration from this blogger here. http://lindas-hemligheter.blogspot.com/2012/01/back-to-50s.html . She made an amazing pink cardi that looks very vintage with her 1950's dress. The 1950's aesthetic is very close to lolita, and in fact is cited often as one of the founding styles of lolita.

Nevermind all the theory. It is a very cute cardigan, and I happen to have dk weight yarn from a failed crochet pullover. I forget if it is Caron Spa or Caron Country. I've lost the labels for the yarn. The problem is, Caron Spa is 158 yards, and Country is 231 yards. That's a big difference as I usually purchase cheaper yarn. I don't have that much money.

The cardigan is called Peggy Sue. If you have a Ravelry, check it out here. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peggy-sue. I just wish I could get my hair in the 1950's style. Maybe there are antique photos of african american ladies of that period, might give me clues.

I have these great vintage buttons from the thrift store that I really want to use for something like this. Other people have used pearl shank buttons. So cute! There aren't pearl buttons in the button tin I purchased though.


I am almost done with the March Cardigan by Berrocco. Great, because winter is getting close to over. Booooo... I just need to seam, wash and block it. Not even sure how to do that, but... eh.

rudiments of a new sock design

So I'm working on a new sock design for my sister's boyfriend. I just don't like the several hundred different sock patterns I have on my Ravelry waiting list. =P

If these are successful, I will post my pattern on ravelry. 

Most of them are fingering weight. I don't have the luxury of using sockweight yarn.

I'm using a yarn called shepard's classic, 100% worsted weight wool yarn. Using size 4 needles.
He has thick calves, so I must work within those parameters. Last year, I miscalculated and made socks.... for his 6 and 10 year old kids. Ugh! Not like it wasn't good they got nice socks though. I just wish that they had fit his feet.

These are the same needles I used last year. But I've gotten wise. Instead of 48 stitches, I"m casting on 64!, the size I usually cast on with size 1 or 2 needles.

Knit the first row.
I rib for half an inch,so the socks stay up.
I wanted some visual interest,but I'm also a lazy knitter, so I did a cable rib, so every other set of even stitches on the row, there's a k2, and every other set of 6 knit stitches, there's a cable.
I can illustrate what i mean when i finish the cuff.
These are going to be simple top down socks, with a gusset heel, since I haven't done heel flaps in a while. I don't want to forget! Plus, I want to try the reinforced heel.

I think I might continue the cable rib pattern down the top of the foot. The toe is going to be a regular square toe, with the kitchener stitch. But that will be some time off, since he has really big feet.

I really want to finish in time for christmas. Cheer for me?

-MNR